Electrical connectors are used to facilitate electrical connectivity between power supplies and utilization equipment. Where it is not feasible to hard wire equipment, detachable connections are used to facilitate maintenance disconnecting, equipment movement, additions and changes. There are also code requirements to provide disconnect switches for motor loads.
Installations of detachable connections (devices) are subject to installer variability as well as degradation over time due to thermal cycling and material wear. When devices wear beyond the manufacturer's specifications or when an installation is not completed to manufacturers specifications by, for example applying improper torque to terminal screws, there exists a possibility that the device will fail while in use, thereby disrupting the flow of electricity to the utilization equipment causing the equipment to stop functioning.
Depending on the type of equipment, the cost of downtime can range up to thousands of dollars per minute. Computer servers and manufacturing equipment, for example, require reliable uptime. As one example, data centers require superior integrity in the electrical power connection to server equipment, and typically use Twist-Lock® or Pin and Sleeve connectors. The servers run 24 hours per day and seven days per week and draw significant current. Currently, in such critical environments, maintenance personnel walk around and check power connections with an IR gun to determine if any connections are overheating. Moreover, excess heat generated by power connections contribute to the specific AC equipment and other operating costs. Accordingly, for the equipment owner, the ability to avoid costly downtime, lessen AC and operating costs, and minimize maintenance costs, would be highly beneficial.